Customers & Fans

We partnered with GOOD and Nutcase on a giveaway of two customized PUBLIC x GOOD bikes, along with Nutcase helmets and bells, to celebrate the launch of our new PUBLIC Santa Monica store. Our two winners are Kaitlin H. from Los Angeles and Scott H. from West Linn, OR. Kaitlin lives in the Los Feliz… Read more »

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We partnered with GOOD and Nutcase on a giveaway of two customized PUBLIC x GOOD bikes, along with Nutcase helmets and bells, to celebrate the launch of our new PUBLIC Santa Monica store.

Our two winners are Kaitlin H. from Los Angeles and Scott H. from West Linn, OR.

Kaitlin lives in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles and works as a Civil Engineer for LA County. She love taking her dog to Griffith Park and enjoying the live music scene. She bikes occasionally. As she describes, “my bike is kind of falling apart, so this new PUBLIC bike is coming at a great time.” Her most memorable rides have been during CicLAvia and a brewery bike crawl with friends in Torrance. She looks forward to combining biking and using the Metro to get around LA.

Scott owns a landscaping company. His family lives right next to a big park so for fun he joins his wife and daughter on rides with their PUBLIC bikes. They love vacationing in Bend and also seeing live music. Their family loves the outdoors so Scott looks forward to taking his new bike on trips.

Memorial Day is right around the corner and many of us are busy planning escapes for the long weekend. There are so many places to enjoy by bike in the United States and the coastal city of San Diego, California with it’s mild climate, beachside bike lanes and delicious spots to refuel is among the… Read more »

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Memorial Day is right around the corner and many of us are busy planning escapes for the long weekend. There are so many places to enjoy by bike in the United States and the coastal city of San Diego, California with it’s mild climate, beachside bike lanes and delicious spots to refuel is among the top of the bunch. So we asked two San Diego locals, Vicky and Rachel of @webikeforbeer to give us the inside scoop on how to see San Diego by bike in one day.

Even if you don’t live in San Diego, we hope this post inspires you to make the most of the long weekend on two wheels. Have you been meaning to get on your bike and go for a ride within your own city? Now’s the time! And if you’re from San Diego, what spots to you like to see in San Diego by bike? Add your favorite places to visit in San Diego by bike to the comments.

Our “See San Diego By Bike” ride starts at a free public parking lot in the Mission Beach area of San Diego and heads north, ending at Windandsea Beach. Here’s the Google Maps Route of the ride.

Joy Ride: Belmont Park, Amusement Park
From the parking lot we hop on our bikes and head to our first stop Belmont Park. This park is called a landmark by locals for a reason. It opened in 1925 and has all the classical “ol time” amusement park games and rides. We highly recommend treating yourself to an ice-cream cone (good ride fuel!) and taking a spin on some of the historic rides, like the wooden roller coaster “The Giant Dipper.”

Caffeine Fix: Better Buzz Coffee – 3745 Mission Blvd
Hop back on your bike and continue north on Ocean Front Walk to Better Buzz Coffee. Treat yourself to “The Best Drink Ever” and if you’re feeling peckish you can’t go wrong with a brimming Acai bowls. Powered up with antioxidants and caffeine, it’s time to get back on the bike for more scenic views.

Beach Cruise: Mission Beach Ride
Head back to Ocean Front Walk and continue north. Take in the Mission Beach scenery and feel right at home with plenty of other cyclists. Pry your eyes away from the beach for a few minutes and make sure to take in the picturesque beachfront homes that line the coast.

Thirst Quencher: Amplified Ale Works – 4150 Mission BlvdA good ride deserves a little refueling and that’s just what our next stop aims to assist with. From Ocean Front Walk, hang a right at Pacific Beach Drive and a left at Mission Blvd to arrive at Amplified Ale. With it’s rooftop bar that overlooks the beach, plus great selection of craft beers, Amplified Ale never disappoints. We highly recommend getting beer flight so you can try a few of the delicious local brews. Our favorites today included the Gold Record and the Electrocution IPA.

Best Coast: Pacific Beach Ride
Head back to Ocean Front Walk via Pacific Beach drive and continue north. You’ll pass Pacific Beach and it’s a great place to take a break on your ride and watch the surfers and listen to the waves crash.

Fresh Mex: Oscar’s Mexican Seafood – 746 Emerald Street
When you’re on the coast, you’ve got to try the seafood so our next stop is Oscars Mexican Seafood. It’s one of our staples. Follow the Google Maps Route for the play by play on how to get here. You can’t go wrong with ordering the fish tacos and ceviche. It’s always fresh and filling. Plus, their variety of hot sauces will satisfy everyone.

Get Local: Bird Rock Ride
When we head back out, we’ll make our way back to La Jolla Hermosa Ave and head north through Bird Rock. Bird Rock is the perfect little beach neighborhood nestled on the north end of Pacific Beach. Park your bike and wander the streets, stopping into one of many local businesses to get your shop on. Here’s where a bike basket comes in handy, because it easily holds your favorite purchases.

The Happiest Hour: Beaumont’s – 5665 La Jolla Blvd
When you’re done wandering Bird Rock, it’s back on the bike traveling north again along La Jolla Hermosa Ave to Beaumont’s. Beaumont’s is our go-to for Californian cuisine and craft cocktails. Happy hour is everyday until 6:30 and they offer $1 off draft beers. Enjoy your dinner with live music at this local eatery.

Ending With a View: Windansea Beach
From Beaumont’s we’ll start hugging the coast again, biking along Camino de la Costa to our last destination, Windandsea Beach. If you’ve only got one day in San Diego, we highly recommend ending it with a bicycle ride out to Windansea Beach to catch the sunset. Views of the cliffs are breathtaking and there’s usually less of a crowd in the evenings.

We asked a few of our favorite tastemakers, writers, and trendsetters who also happen to ride PUBLIC bikes to share their top bike apparel. Their responses range from vintage dresses to classy bike gloves and prove that you can really wear anything (even a wedding dress) while riding a bike! Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman… Read more »

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We asked a few of our favorite tastemakers, writers, and trendsetters who also happen to ride PUBLIC bikes to share their top bike apparel. Their responses range from vintage dresses to classy bike gloves and prove that you can really wear anything (even a wedding dress) while riding a bike!

Joanna Goddard | @joannagoddard
Joanna of A Cup of Jo likes wearing any loose dress (She’s sporting one from Madewell in this shot) because it’s easy to hop on and off her PUBLIC C7 step through bike in a dress. She also favors high waisted jeans because “you don’t have to worry about your jeans riding down when you’re riding!” She thinks Madewell makes the best high waisted jeans.

Jessica | @hapatime
Jessica of Hapatime loves wearing Converse sneakers when she goes for a spin on her PUBLIC V7 and also recommends sweater dresses because they keep you warm and cool at the same time during the crisp Fall weather.

Emma Chapman | @emmaredvelvet
Though not recommended for daily riding, if you’re a bike lover who’s about to tie the knot you might consider getting a snap of you in your wedding gown while riding a bike. Risky, perhaps. But the result, beautiful. Emma of A Beautiful Mess proves it’s entirely possible with this gorgeous photo of her wearing her handmade wedding dress while riding her PUBLIC C7.

Weylie | @weylie
It’s all about comfort and practicality for Weylie. When she’s riding her PUBLIC Bike she’s usually running errands or meeting up with friends, which is why causal outfits that suit the occasion are her go-to. Her go-to closed toe casual shoes are Nike.

Humans shouldn’t have all the fun when it comes to dressing up for Halloween. This season we asked local designer Joe Irwin to transform our PUBLIC Mini Balance Bikes into a herd (yup) of little seahorses. The result is currently hanging in the window of our PUBLIC Bikes San Francisco shop in Hayes Valley and… Read more »

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Humans shouldn’t have all the fun when it comes to dressing up for Halloween. This season we asked local designer Joe Irwin to transform our PUBLIC Mini Balance Bikes into a herd (yup) of little seahorses. The result is currently hanging in the window of our PUBLIC Bikes San Francisco shop in Hayes Valley and couldn’t be any more playful and smile-inducing.

Joe was game enough to draw up a how-to-guide that that you can use to fashion your own Seahorse PUBLIC Mini Balance Bike or use as a reference should you want to create an adult-sized version. And speaking of the adult-sized version, check it out on our Instagram here and Joe’s website here. And also check out these these other bicycle Halloween costume ideas.

Download the complete DIY seahorse instructions along with the template here.

Or check out the instructions for creating your own seahorse bike below.

Images from @meghantelpner on Instagram. Scrolling through our Instagram feed one day we were surprised to find a few photos with the most tasty shots of our limited edition PUBLIC C7 bike in yellow. Tasty because the color alone reminds one of bananas (the power fuel of PUBLIC employees), but also because the bike was… Read more »

Scrolling through our Instagram feed one day we were surprised to find a few photos with the most tasty shots of our limited edition PUBLIC C7 bike in yellow. Tasty because the color alone reminds one of bananas (the power fuel of PUBLIC employees), but also because the bike was paired with the most delicious and colorful assortment of food.

We reached out to this foodie + bike lover and learned that she was Meghan Telpner, a Toronto-based author, speaker, nutritionist, and founder of the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. Turns out she got the yellow PUBLIC C7 bike from her local bike shop Cycle Couture and was using it for a photo shoot she was staging for her upcoming cookbook.

We’re excited to announce that Telpner’s cookbook, The UnDiet Cookbook, launched just this week. Congrats, on your new cookbook Meghan! The photography is beautiful (not just because our bike is featured throughout 😉 and the recipes are plant-based and friendly to nearly every diet.

It’s our pleasure to share a recipe from her cookbook that we think would make great fuel for before or after any bike ride. Enjoy!

PUBLIC is expanding in many ways and shapes. We’re looking for short or long term partnerships with merchants and creative retail spaces, especially those located in California and the Western states, but we’ll consider other major cities in the U.S. If you are a potential partner or know of one, send an email over to partner@publicbikes.com…. Read more »

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PUBLIC is expanding in many ways and shapes. We’re looking for short or long term partnerships with merchants and creative retail spaces, especially those located in California and the Western states, but we’ll consider other major cities in the U.S. If you are a potential partner or know of one, send an email over to partner@publicbikes.com.

Below are a few examples of successful partnerships we have now or have had in the past.

PUBLIC SHOWROOM COLOCATED WITH A PARTNER

Earlier this summer we set up a showroom in Portland inside a building co-occupied by apparel company Marine Layer. We were able to set up our showroom in roughly 800 square feet to showcase our bikes for customer test riding. We’d love to set up other showrooms around the country in 800-1,200 square feet spaces in popular retail corridors fronting bike-friendly streets.

FULL PUBLIC STORE COLOCATED WITH A PARTNER

One of our longest pop-up shops was in Harrington Galleries, a boutique furniture and antique shop in San Francisco. We subleased 1,200 square feet of retail space to operate a full PUBLIC retail store.

SHORT TERM POP-UP PARTNER COLOCATED WITHIN A PUBLIC STORE

In the past we partnered with coffee company Saint Frank Coffee, who ran a pop-up shop outside one of our former locations and recently with espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco who set up a pop-up shop over one weekend in our PUBLIC Hayes Valley store. Our retail locations in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Oakland could serve as short-term pop-up opportunities for indie designers and other small businesses looking for exposure.

VISUAL MERCHANDISE PARTNER

Currently our bikes are featured in select Banana Republic stores as part of their Fall campaign, What Moves You? For their Fall collection, Banana Republic took inspiration from Amsterdam and our dutch-style, step-through bikes were a natural fit.

We have also partnered with GAP during the holiday season for a temporary PUBLIC Bikes holiday pop-up shop in one of their flagship stores. This pop-up served as a showroom to showcase our bikes.

x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJjZiv-RirI You talked. We listened. You wanted a lighter, sportier bike for commuting, fitness and everyday errands. You wanted more gears for tackling the hills and trigger shifters for responsive shifting right at your finger tips. Meet our new PUBLIC R16 flat bar city road bike – built to give you just what you… Read more »

You talked. We listened. You wanted a lighter, sportier bike for commuting, fitness and everyday errands. You wanted more gears for tackling the hills and trigger shifters for responsive shifting right at your finger tips.

Meet our new PUBLIC R16 flat bar city road bike – built to give you just what you want in a bike. It’s nimble, light-weight and packed with 16-speeds to power you up the hills and down them. The new PUBLIC R16 is a reimagined version of its drop bar predecessor with a modern, slightly curved flat bar and Shimano Claris Rapidfire trigger shifters. We’ve included fenders for when it gets wet, slender city-ready tires and a comfortable city saddle and grips. It’s also available at the special price of $699$899

Our PUBLIC R16 has received a lot of positive feedback already, but don’t just take our word for it. Check out the above video to see just what makes this bike great for city riding and everything else.

In honor of Father’s Day we’d like to share with you a special story about an inspirational PUBLIC rider, Gary Clemens, who is pictured above. We learned about Gary from his son, Deven, who writes about his dad:

“My dad was the primary caregiver to his wife and his mother and during that time didn’t have much of a chance to care for himself. When they both passed, we asked him to move back to the Bay Area to be near his grandkids and his family. He did and we decided to get him a PUBLIC bike so he could be more active. It gave him a new zest for life.”

It had been 30 years since Gary had ridden a bike when he took his first spin last year. Now he rides nearly every day, to do errands, with his grandkids and along the plentiful bike trails in Mill Valley, California just to take in the views. We’re so inspired by Gary and touched that Deven shared this story about his inspirational dad.

We interview Gary below about what biking means to him and how you’re never too old to change your life.

PUBLIC: After 30 years of not riding, what prompted you to pick up riding again?Gary: The family and I were up in Tahoe and they convinced me that I could ride the bike trail and along the Truckee river. It had been 30 years since I was on a bike.

PUBLIC: How did it feel to ride a bike after being away from riding for so long?Gary: It all came back to me but I was not steady and I was quite hesitant.

PUBLIC: What do you like best about riding a bike again?Gary: It gets me out and helps with balance and getting the muscles moving. I feel so much better now that I am riding.

PUBLIC: What tips can you offer those who haven’t ridden in awhile and are interested in getting back into it?Gary: You have to give it a try. You must find areas that are compatible with bike riding. I prefer flat ground along with small hills. I do not ride fast but I have worked up to a steady speed. I would also suggest that if you are looking to start riding a bike again you get one that is a step-thru bike. If the bike that I use to starting riding again was not a step through I may have not continued.

PUBLIC: How do you benefit from biking?Gary: I find that riding my bike clears my head, improves my balance and I find that I am not as stiff. When I am walking, I find going up a hill is not a problem. I attribute this to my bike riding.

PUBLIC: Biking is a universal activity, yet it sometimes gets pegged as a sport for the youth. How does biking fit into your lifestyle?Gary: When I am on the bike trail I see all kinds of people that ride as a sport fast and hard. I also see riders enjoying the outdoors moving slower and taking in the view.

PUBLIC: How does biking offer you freedom?Gary: When I was a kid I definitely saw my bike as a form of freedom. Now, however, I see my bike as a way to get my exercise in and taking all the back roads that would be missed if you were driving.

PUBLIC: We heard a rumor that you were interested selling your car and just biking everywhere. Tell us a little more about why you would want to do that?Gary: There are times when I do not take the car out for a week. Then you starting thinking the cars are expensive and you could save a lot of money by just relying on the bike. However I do travel longer distances and the weather can be a big factor so I may still need a car.

PUBLIC: Sounds like you ride with your family often. What family members do you ride with and where do you all ride?Gary: I have had some great bike rides with my daughter in law and my son. Occasionally I will ride with my grandkids and we will have 3 generations on the bike path in Mill Valley, all on PUBLIC bikes. The whole family takes into consideration that I am moving a little slower than they are so it is nice to have them all around me so we can talk.

I first met award-winning interior designer Ghislaine Viñas on a PUBLIC group bike ride in Manhattan during the ICFF event that draws designers from around the world. She was there looking very Dutch (she was born in the Netherlands) on an orange PUBLIC mixte bike and riding with her Mom. Given how the Dutch lead the way… Read more »

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Ghislaine Viñas / Photo By Andy French

I first met award-winning interior designer Ghislaine Viñas on a PUBLIC group bike ride in Manhattan during the ICFF event that draws designers from around the world. She was there looking very Dutch (she was born in the Netherlands) on an orange PUBLIC mixte bike and riding with her Mom. Given how the Dutch lead the way when it comes to biking, we always feel especially complimented when the Dutch select our bikes.

It was at this ICFF event that I discovered Ghislaine and I had many shared personal interests, like an obsession with color and pattern. You can see this in her remarkable interior design work, and of course in the bike she rides 😉.

Ghislaine: Its true that coming up with new ideas and creative solutions is a huge part of the job, but it’s the part I enjoy the most. I feel lucky to live in NYC and be surrounded by creativity and inspiration and I don’t need to go far to find it. But traveling is what really gives me inspiration.

I just came back from Panama and was really inspired by Panama City and the islands I visited when I was there. The Kuna woman of the San Blas islands wear the most beautiful traditional outfits that are crazily patterned and reverse embroidered. They originally used to paint their bodies with these geometric patterns and then as they westernized they transferred the patterns onto fabric. The Kuna women are tiny and wear these gorgeous bright red and yellow headscarves and lots of mixed patterns and colors. I had never heard of this tribe so it was a lovely discovery for me.

I love finding this kind of inspiration. I’m always planning and plotting my next adventure with my family especially during the cold winter months.

PUBLIC: What are the first steps you take when solving an interior design problem?

Ghislaine: I usually just tackle something head on and use my intuition, diving right in without thinking too much. I know that my first inspiration is just a starting point and I keep on developing and often changing an idea until I get it right. Sometimes I can’t really explain why something isn’t right so we just keep on going. It’s always a process and sometimes it takes designing a room countless times before it feels right.

PUBLIC: How does bicycling fit into your lifestyle?

Ghislaine: My bike IS my lifestyle. No matter what the weather, I ride my bike to my appointments and meetings and just everywhere I go. A lot of my activities are in downtown Manhattan and it’s just the easiest, fastest and most convenient way for me to get around. I know some people put their bike away for the winter but mine never goes into storage.

Interior by Ghislaine Viñas / Photo By Eric Laignel

PUBLIC: Color plays an important role in your work. What inspires your color choices?

Ghislaine: Color has always made me feel very happy and I love surrounding myself with colorful happy things so at first it was just innate. My color choices are often driven by how I want a space to feel. I know that color can drive the way that spaces make us feel and my designs work with that energy. Creating good solid neutrals in a room are important so that it creates a backdrop for me to incorporate color. We are always experimenting with color, and playing with nuances. But my work with color is something that is always evolving. I was very inspired by Dutch Design Week last year and was introduced to some really inspiring color combinations and ideas. I think I’m only at the beginning of my experimentation with color and hope to keep working and evolving in this area of my designs.

What’s your favorite color at the moment?

Ghislaine: I don’t have a favorite but I’ve always loved greens and am really intrigued with mixing super vibrant greens with more muddy ones. Recently I was in a tiny little village called Salt Creek on Isla Bastimentos in Panama. It’s the home of the still intact indigenous Indian Ngobe-Bugle people, and I noticed that a lot of the very crude and simple buildings that the locals had built were painted with vibrant greens. The buildings were pretty primitive looking but I loved the mixture of greens with which some of the houses were painted. I also love orange. I’m a sucker for bright vibrant clear colors.

PUBLIC: We notice that your PUBLIC bike is Orange ;-). How does your PUBLIC Bike reflect your personal style?

Ghislaine: Well, my bike is orange and since I was born in the Netherlands I feel like I am representing. 😉 My PUBLIC bike feels like it was made for me personally and I think it’s strange when I see someone else with a bike like mine. That’s how personal the bike feels to me. I’ve always been drawn to color and riding a bright orange bike fits my style.

PUBLIC: Describe your perfect day on a bike?

Ghislaine: Since I use my bike in the city on a day-to-day level I’m not going to pick that as a perfect day (even though it certainly can be). My perfect day on a bike is waking up in the Netherlands and jumping on bikes with my parents, husband and kids and spending the day riding through the countryside, past windmills and into tiny villages. Stopping for coffee and lunch and ice cream along the way. We have been doing this since my girls were babies, riding in the kids seat connected to our bikes. Our kids would fall asleep and take their naps in the kids seats. Springtime in the Netherlands is amazingly beautiful and there is something so pure and simple about the bike rides we take in North Holland. We will be there again in a month so I’m really looking forward to breathing in the crisp fresh spring air and taking lots of bike rides.

Ghislaine biking around NYC / Photo By Jaime Viñas

PUBLIC: Are bicycles an important part of the community you live in?

Ghislaine: I’ve lived in my neighborhood Tribeca for 24 years and for a long time there weren’t too many bikes around, but in the last 5 years or so biking has become super popular. It’s so nice to stop at a stop light and have another bike pull up next to you, that didn’t happen until more recently. I think that drivers and taxis are also paying attention more and learning to share the road. It can be pretty scary riding in the city so it feels good to have a community of riders on the road. I wish we had better bike lanes and that the roads here were safer but it has never stopped me. Of course Citibikes has also doubled the amount of bikes on the roads.

PUBLIC: What makes your work unique?

Ghislaine: I’m so passionate about design and everything I do comes from my heart so its a really personal expression. When I am designing rooms I don’t think of furniture, rugs, and window treatments but I think of spaces as compositions. The solutions we offer our clients is always informed by what they tell us about themselves and what they want their space to feel like. So our interiors are always unique creations for those specific clients and that way our work remains fresh and unique.

PUBLIC: How do you keep your designs fresh and relevant?

Ghislaine: I’m a curious person and have a pretty short attention span. This means I am usually looking for something new and different to keep me occupied. It’s in my nature to try new things constantly.

PUBLIC: Any upcoming projects/partnerships/designs that you are excited about?

Ghislaine: I am currently collaborating with furniture designer and friend, Brad Ascalon on a furniture line for Loll. Loll is a fantastic, environmentally conscious furniture design company out of Duluth, MN and its been fun working on an upholstered line for them which we are hoping launches in the next 3 months. I feel lucky to be collaborating with Chet Callahan again. He is an architect in LA and our first project together was a project I am really super proud of so its great to be working on a second. I’m doing my 8th project with my good friend and client Paige West. I adore working with her and I always get excited when she tells me she has a project up her sleeve. I’m just really happy and proud of what we are doing in my office and the great team of people I get to work with every day. My husband Jaime is a great collaborator too and we are working with him on a number of projects too.

Whether biking, walking or driving, people deserve to be safe when moving around their community. It’s a concept few would argue with, but who is actually working to make that happen? Enter, Vision Zero. It’s a concept created 15 years ago in Sweden with the goal of making zero traffic fatalities or severe injuries a… Read more »

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Leah Shahum / Image Credit: Melissa Balmer

Whether biking, walking or driving, people deserve to be safe when moving around their community. It’s a concept few would argue with, but who is actually working to make that happen?

Enter, Vision Zero. It’s a concept created 15 years ago in Sweden with the goal of making zero traffic fatalities or severe injuries a priority in major cities. Now several major cities in United States, including Seattle, New York City, and San Francisco, have adopted Vision Zero as a policy goal.

The Vision Zero Network, recently launched by Leah Shahum, is building a movement to support Vision Zero. We know Leah from her days as executive director of the SF Bike Coalition where she shaped the organization into one of the largest bicycle advocacy groups in the country. Now, at the helm of the Vision Zero Network, we’re confident Leah will bring awareness to a problem that needlessly kills over 30,000 Americans annually, by helping major cities work towards zero in their communities.

We caught up with Shahum to learn more about Vision Zero.

PUBLIC: What is Vision Zero?

Leah: Vision Zero is a new way approach to safe mobility. It lays out the expectation that people deserve to be safe as they move around their community, when they’re walking, bicycling, taking transit or driving.

Vision Zero is a concept created in Sweden about 15 years ago and spreading around the world. Vision Zero is a goal – zero traffic fatalities or severe injuries – as well as a strategy and way of thinking to achieve that goal. Cities across America, including San Francisco, New York City, Seattle and others, are realizing that they can – and must – think and act differently if they are to change the situation in which far too many people are dying needlessly on our roadways.

Vision Zero differs from the traditional approach in three major ways. First, Vision Zero acknowledges that traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable. This is a transformative shift in thinking. You can compare this to the way cultural attitudes have shifted in the past towards preventing drunk driving (zero tolerance) or increasing recycling and other conservation efforts (zero waste).

Second, Vision Zero brings together diverse — and necessary — stakeholders to address a complex social problem. Traditionally, traffic planners and engineers, police officers, policymakers, and public health professionals have not collaborated in meaningful, cross-disciplinary ways to meet shared goals (partly because they literally did not have shared goals for safe streets). Vision Zero acknowledges that there are many factors that contribute to safe mobility — infrastructure, enforcement, individual behavior/education, and policies — and all must be coordinated with a safety-first approach.

And finally, Vision Zero is a data-based approach. Traditionally, improving street safety has involved finger-pointing or resembled a whack-a-mole game more than a coordinated, fact-based strategy. But with the awareness that Vision Zero is raising, communities are starting to treat traffic safety as a public health issue and using data to make decisions.

While we know that people are fallible and will sometimes make mistakes, we can – and must — set up our roadways and transportation systems to make sure that collisions do not end in death or severe injuries.

Vision Zero in Montreal, Canada / Photo Credit: Payton Chung

PUBLIC: Why are so many cities adopting Vision Zero?

Leah: Cities are realizing that our transportation systems are out of sync with our priorities for increased safety, public health, environmental sustainability and affordability. And local leaders know that they cannot wait for the federal government to come in and change things. This movement for Vision Zero is really coming from the locals, from the ground up, because the issues are so very close to home in our communities.

I also think that city leaders recognize the growing trend of employers wanting to be located in urban environments where their employees can walk, bike, take transit and carshare. They’ve got to honor these choices because this is the way the workforce of America is moving.

And finally, I think a lot of us have been inspired by the changes we’ve seen across the globe that prove that when you build great walking, bicycling and transit infrastructure and set up policies that encourage those ways of moving around, more people choose to do so, which of course is a benefit to the cities, in general. For a long time, the idea of growing biking, walking, and transit trips and decreasing single occupancy vehicle trips seemed impossible to many city leaders, but the proof exists now and leaders are feeling more confident. San Francisco is a great example of that, as private vehicle traffic has decreased in recent years, as biking, walking, transit and rideshare have grown. And there are more car-free households in SF. All of this is happening while the city is growing and the economy is booming.

PUBLIC: 3. After leading the SF Bicycle Coalition for many years, why did you choose to launch the Vision Zero Network?

Leah: Well, I was riding my awesome orange Public bike down Market Street in San Francisco one day….I really do have an awesome orange Public bike (more on that later), but really….

Over the past year and a half since the SF Bicycle Coalition and Walk SF and our partners successfully urged the City of San Francisco to commit to Vision Zero, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of Vision Zero to be a real gamechanger in terms of our communities’ safety and mobility.

First, who can be against safety, right?

Second, the work of Vision Zero includes everyone, all road users, and that’s powerful. This is not a movement that’s aimed just at keeping people safe while they bike or just while they walk or just while they drive. The reality is that most people do a combination of all of these things in a week, and we want them to be safe while doing all of those things. People have a basic right to move safely around their communities. It’s a simple but powerful concept.

And, I’m excited by the idea of different cities pooling their energy and great minds and passion toward a shared goal of Visio Zero. What the Vision Zero Network does is bring together the key stakeholders in cities across America to collaborate and develop and share strategies for what will advance Vision Zero in the urban environment.

While Seattle, San Jose and Washington DC are different places, of course, they also share a great deal of the same challenges and opportunities when it comes to ensuring safe mobility. We have so much to learn from each other. Plus, we can push each other and, together, raise the profile of Vision Zero across the country.

The timing felt right for me to help shape this nascent movement that is so promising and capturing so much attention not just among the “usual suspects” but among a whole new field of important players who need to be involved in this effort for safe mobility for all.

Sweden Traffic / Photo Credit: Erik Söderström

PUBLIC: You’re currently studying Vision Zero in Europe. How’s that going? What do you say to skeptics who tell you American cities are very different than European cities so you can’t expect the same kind of attention to pedestrians and bicycles in car-centric American cities?

Leah: I’m fortunate to be traveling as part of the German Marshall Fund Urban & Regional Policy Fellowship to research Vision Zero. I’m visiting Berlin, Stockholm and Rotterdam – all in countries that have adopted national Vision Zero strategies, or something similar w/ different names.

To the skeptics – and I totally understand where they’re coming from – I’d explain that what’s interesting me most is not so much how different countries have different cultural attitudes and historical development, which of course they do. One could say, “Oh it’s Europe, it’s different, we’ll never be like that….” And in certain ways, they’d be right.

I think the most valuable lessons are the examples where cities have made their streets dramatically safer in the recent past. For instance, Berlin reduced its traffic fatalities by 80% since the 1970s, while increasing its population. And they’ve tripled the numbers of people biking just in the past 15 years or so. And Berlin’s streets resemble a typical major U.S. city’s more than some of the other European examples that you often hear cited, such as Amsterdam or Copenhagen. So how did Berlin do that? We need to understand that and figure out which strategies can transfer to an American environment. Granted, not everything will be replicable in the U.S., but some things will be.

Leah: I’m so glad you asked that question. Vision Zero is pro-safety for everyone, whether they’re walking, biking, driving or taking transit. Everyone deserves to be safe as they move around.

Now, we know that, particularly in urban areas, it is people on foot and bike who bear the worst brunt of traffic violence, and we know that it is in automobiles that people bear the greatest risk of hurting others because of the pure weight and force of a motor vehicle. These are basic facts. So, any worthwhile traffic safety strategy needs to focus appropriate energy toward these realities. So, it’s not a surprise that we see cities focusing particular attention on better training professional drivers of large vehicles, who spend many, many hours each day on the road driving large – and sometimes – dangerous vehicles. But of course, safety awareness is important for all of us when we walk, bike or drive regular-size vehicles. We all need to be safe out there, but some ways of moving about bring more risk and deserve more attention.

One of the things that excites me most about Vision Zero is that it is a way to move past the unfortunate silos that many people have placed themselves or others into in the past. It’s a shame that there have been so many arguments in the past about what’s best for “the bicyclists” versus “the drivers” or “the pedestrians.” Those are unhelpful and unrealistic labels. Most people move around in a variety of ways during the week based on what works, at a practical level, for them for each trip. For instance, what’s most convenient or easiest? What’s most enjoyable and feels comfortable? What doesn’t cost too much money?

We probably all know someone, sadly, who was lost in a traffic crash, whether walking, biking or driving. We all want to prevent that from happening to people we love…or to anyone. This is so much bigger than biking. And Vision Zero certainly is not anti-anything, rather, it’s pro-safe mobility for everyone.

PUBLIC: What specific steps can cities take to make streets safer?

Leah: They can explicitly and publicly make safety their number one priority in making decisions about their transportation system. That means that they use a data-based approach to understand where the problem areas and unsafe behaviors are in their community.

And they bring together the range of people have control over safety in their community – that means not just traffic engineers, but also police officers and public health specialists and educators and school officials and the district attorneys and advocates and other community members. And they work together to set priorities that reflect safety as the top goal. That means roadways are designed with a safety-first mantra. And resources are doled safety-first. And traffic enforcement is guided by safety-first, etc, etc.

Is this always going to be easy? Of course not. Because there will continue to be many competing priorities for all of those limited resources. But if a city is serious about keeping its citizens safe – and I would suggest that’s the very basic premise of government – it needs to make the decisions that reflect its priorities.

Busy Streets Of NYC / Photo Credit: Brian Jeffery Beggerly

PUBLIC: What steps can the average person take (like me, for example) to make streets safer?

Leah: Of course, the most important thing we can all do individually is to move safely and predictably out there. We all have responsibility for our own actions, and we can serve as a model to others.

I’d suggest that interested individuals can also start to raise the idea of Vision Zero in their communities by asking their elected leaders where they stand on this issue and prioritizing safe mobility. And talking with your friends and neighbors about the idea. In the end, Vision Zero really is a shift in the way we all think about mobility. Just like we saw a major shift in the way Americans thought about the need to discourage drunk driving or to encourage recycling, we need to evolve our individual and societal expectations for being able to move around safely.

PUBLIC: Can Vision Zero really be achieved?

Leah: Yes. Now that doesn’t mean that we will prevent all traffic collisions, because people will continue to make mistakes…we’re fallible, it’s just the reality. But we absolutely can design systems and set up policies and practices that ensure that when things inevitably, at times, collide, the worst case scenario is not the result. For instance, if everyone were moving about a community no faster than at 15 miles per hour, we would prevent most traffic fatalities. That’s possible. That’s a choice that cities could make. And we’re seeing more people think about moving in that direction.

Plus, setting a bold, clear goal is important to get people thinking differently. By setting the goal of zero, we encourage people to think about it and to ask: “Can we prevent these deaths and injuries?”
The answer is “yes we can” by making certain decisions and taking certain actions. It’s a matter of prioritizing safety.

Americans are, in general, sadly complacent about the major public health crisis we have on our roadways. We need to start shaking people out of this complacently to commit to safe transportation options or, the alternative is the status quo and we continue to lose an average of 30,000 people in this country each year to preventable tragedies. That’s not an alternative.

Leah and her PUBLIC M8 Mixte bike / Photo Credit Melissa Balmer

PUBLIC: You’ve been riding an Orange PUBLIC mixte for many years. What do you like about this bike and riding in general?

Leah: I absolutely love my bike. First of all, it’s so fun to ride. And so comfortable for everyday city riding.
And, I will admit that I kind of like the admiring looks the bike gets as I cruise around San Francisco. Even after all these years, people still really notice the bike. I love to watch people’s eyes light up and a smile spread across their faces as they look at the bike. My hope, of course, is that they’re thinking, even subconsciously, “Ah, biking, that looks fun, maybe I should give that a try.”

PUBLIC: Do you remember your first bike? If so, please describe it.

Leah: I don’t remember what kind of bike it was, but I really do remember the freedom. I grew up in the suburbs of Florida and having a bike meant I could cruise around to friends’ houses on my own and experience a sense of independence that was a first as a little kid. Even as a kid, I remember somehow feeling “this is important.”